The first civil engineer in the world on record, who is known for designing and supervising the step Pyramid of Djoser. He was the first to introduce the use of columns into architecture.
Archimedes
One of the first to apply mathematics to physical phenomena. Designed machines such as the screw pump and compound pulleys that we still use today.
Cai Lun
Courtesy name Jingzhong, was a Han dynasty Chinese eunuch and official. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper.
Leonardo da Vinci
Though recognized popularly as an artist, had had a great interest in science and mathematics. His designs of flying objects such as hang gliders and a sketch similar to the present-day helicopter were used widely by scientists from his next generation. The Norwegian highway department also built a bridge in 2001 that was based on one of the designs by him.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Designed & built wide range of projects, including railways, bridges, & ships. Used logic and analysis to reshape the mechanical and structural engineering of his time. Brunel was also the first to build a tunnel under a navigable river. He brought a revolutionary change in the way public transport functioned.
Benjamin Franklin
One of the founding fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, he was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot
French inventor. He is known to have built the first working self-propelled mechanical vehicle, the world's first automobile.
Elijah McCoy
Son of runaway slaves. He traveled to Scotland at the age of 15 for an apprenticeship and came back with a mechanical engineering degree. He invented a lubrication device that allowed machines in motion to remain oiled. This revolutionized the railroad industry as it enabled trains to run faster and more profitably with less need to stop for lubrication and maintenance.
Thomas Edison
Primarily known for inventing the light bulb, he had also invented a number of other things like the motion picture camera, stock ticker, battery for the electric car, a mechanical vote recorder and the phonograph. He was also among the first ones to practice mass production for his inventions, manufacturing on a large scale. He has around 1093 US patents on his name and many more outside the US.
Nikola Tesla
Serbian-American inventor, he designed the modern alternating currents (AC) electric supply system. He worked on wireless international communication, RADAR, induction motors, and X-ray machines.
Henry Ford
Designed his first vehicle-Quadricycle. He led the foundation of Ford Motor, revolutionizing mass production system which further led to making an affordable automobile. Without his contribution, having a vehicle of your own would have been a dream for a majority of people. Introduced "everyman's car" or Model T. Creator of the Assembly Line.
Dr. Robert Goddard
His designs were basis for rockets that launch astronauts into space, deliver warheads to distant countries, & carry communication satellites into orbit.
Wilbur and Orville Wright
Designed forts powered flying machine. Experiments leading to this piloted flight and practices they employed were responsible for their success.
Leo Szilard
A Hungarian-German-American physicist, he is credited with building the first atomic bomb, but he advocated against it's use. Made contributions to political science, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, genetics, and molecular biology.
Grace Murray Hopper
A computer engineer & Rear Admiral in US Navy who developed first computer compiler & computer language COBOL. Popularized term "bug" after discovering that a moth had jammed the workings of an early computer.
Ralph Baer
A German-born American video game developer, inventor, and engineer, and was known as "The Father of Video Games" due to his many contributions to games and the video game industry in the latter half of the 20th century.
Walt Braithwaite
Braithwaite's team developed computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems for Boeing, which led the way for airplanes and, eventually, many other products designed entirely through software.
Mark Dean
Computer scientist and engineer he helped develop a number of landmark technologies for IBM, including the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip. He holds three of the company's original nine patents. He also invented the Industry Standard Architecture system bus with engineer Dennis Moeller, allowing for computer plug-ins such as disk drives and printers.
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